The Gingerbread Kid Goes to School, Vol. 1 »

A silly twist on the classic tale. The school principal bakes a gingerbread cookie and brings it to school in his lunchbox. When the principal opens his lunchbox, the gingerbread kid winks and jumps off the desk. Where is he off to in such a hurry?

Marilyn Courtot - Children's Literature

The familiar story is given a slightly different twist here. The principal bakes a gingerbread kid and when he puts in the candy eyes, the kid flips off the desk and heads out on his own. The principal joins the chase and the kid shouts the well known refrain "I'm the gingerbread kid. I'm fast as can be. You can run, run, run. But you can't catch me!" He disturbs the gym class, lunchroom, teachers in the hall and has quite an entourage pursuing him. When he reaches the library, the young boy seems quite indifferent, but he does catch the gingerbread kid, who once again turns into a cookie and is not eaten by the boy, but by his very smart dog who just happened to be waiting outside the open window. It is this ending that is illogical and improbable. The last scene shows a snowy scene, so why would the window be open and why would the dog be waiting there in the cold school ground instead of being warm and cozy at home? Young kids probably won't care, but the original story holds together better. Part of the "All Aboard Reading" series Station Stop (level 1). 2002, Grosset & Dunlap,